Delivery of oxygen to a patient using a catheter positioned within an endotracheal tube is a well-established medical procedure. The oxygen is provided to assist in maintaining adequate oxygenation and ventilation. The catheter carries the oxygen in a suitable concentration directly into the distal trachea, 2-3 cm from the carina, bypassing the upper airways. This is intended to be accomplished while avoiding ventilator-induced complications.
Patients suffering from severe respiratory or ventilatory distress are sometimes recipients of this procedure commonly known in the medical literature as Thoracic Gas Insufflation (TGI) procedures. Major steps associated with such a procedure include positioning a catheter at a predetermined location in the patient's trachea and then causing oxygen to be delivered at a desired concentration. Commonly, mucous or other substances must be removed from the patient on a periodic basis. In accordance with one known medical device and procedure, a single catheter is alternately used to first deliver a ventilating oxygen/air mixture and then used to remove substances from the patient. This single catheter is inserted into the trachea of the patient. Under operator or technician control, a selection is made to either (1) deliver an oxygen/air mixture or (2) suction unwanted substances from the patient. Oxygen/air mixture delivery and patient suctioning procedures are then alternated using the same catheter. This device is also known to maintain sterility of its single catheter by means of a collapsible bag that surrounds the single catheter and prevents unwanted exposure to the environment. However, this device utilizes a single catheter whose diameter (french size) is less than ideal for either purpose. Typically, the catheter is too large in diameter for optimal oxygen/air mixture delivery within an endotracheal tube and too small in diameter for optimal efficiency in removing unwanted substances. In the other known method, two separate and different size catheters are used. One catheter for delivering the oxygen/air mixture and another catheter for removing unwanted substances from the patient's trachea. Although each catheter may be ideally sized for its intended purpose, there is no unitary and convenient mechanism that facilitates the performing of these two functions and procedures.